Six diseases that can be avoided if a cat is vaccinated

I'm taking this direct from Dr. Yuki Hattori's excellent book titled What Cats Want. Dr. Yuki Hattori is Japan's leading cat doctor. The book is recommended for beginners and those with a fair knowledge of domestic cat caretaking. It is written and illustrated very cleanly; easy to read.

Tabby cat having a stretch. Photo in the public domain.

The diseases that can be avoided if a cat is vaccinated are as follows:

1. Bronchitis/pneumonia: this disease develops from a cold but becomes more serious and requires urgent veterinary attention. The symptoms are breathing problems, fever and cough.
2. Feline lymphoma: this is a type of cancer affecting lymphocytes. The symptoms are weight loss and lack of appetite. This disease is often detected late.
3. Feline viral rhinotracheitis: this is a feline form of the common cold as I understand it. It is passed on through nasal secretions or saliva. When a cat contracts the disease, they become a carrier for their life. The symptoms may only present later on. The symptoms are, conjunctivitis (a secondary bacterial infection after the initial viral infection), fever, runny nose and sneezing.
4. Feline panleukopenia: a very contagious disease which proves fatal, often. There is a reduced white blood cell count and intestinal inflammation. The symptoms are variously: bloody stools, vomiting and fever. Kittens can vomit violently and have diarrhoea.
5. Feline calicivirus: another sort of cat cold described as a 'respiratory disease' transmitted through contact with an infected cat. The symptoms are sneezing, salivation, weepy eyes. There may be stomatitis or ulceration of the tongue. Younger and older cats are most at risk.
6. Feline chlamydiosis: a disease which is transmitted through contact with a cat who carries the bacterium. The symptoms are: cough, sneezing, weepy eyes and conjunctivitis.

Feline vaccinations are recommended. See your vet please! :) Although the protocols of cat vaccinations have been pared back over the years as vets were overdoing it in the past because of a desire to bring clients into the clinic where they could be sold services and products. Boosters have been reduced in frequency.

P.S. The Russians have developed a vaccine against Covid-19. Some zoos are vaccinating their animals. I'd expect a Covid-19 vaccine to be developed in Europe and North America in due course as there is a fear of a reservoir of the disease being created among domestic animals.